Entombed in Snow: Up to 100,000 Cattle Perished Where They Stood in Rogue South Dakota Blizzard

[BlueToTheBone]

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/10/13/entombed-snow-100000-cattle-perished-where-they-stood-rogue-south-dakota-blizzard-151733

The animals held out as long as they could against the punishing 70-mile-per-hour winds and the blinding snow. Unable to get to safety, thousands of cattle, horses and other animals simply died where they fell—or stood—in the storm that lashed western South Dakota for 24 hours earlier this month, with whipping winds lasting well into the following day.

RELATED: Oglala Sioux Declare State of Emergency After Record-Breaking Early Blizzard

State Senator Al Davis of Nebraska, which was also hit, visited the affected areas last week and estimated that up to 100,000 cattle and other livestock died, he said in a statement. Ranchers are assessing millions of dollars in damages that will affect the region’s economy for years.

“Things here are far worse than I anticipated in terms of deaths among cattle,” Davis said. “Livestock losses on the plains of Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming are estimated to be between 60,000 and 100,000 head. There are also animals that will sicken and die as time goes on which will add to these numbers.”

This is really horrible. I heard about this today on Democracy Now and couldn't believe my ears.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Wow. I'd heard about this, but had not realized the numbers involved. Poor beasts.

[VanillaRhapsody]

2. That's freaky scary....

[doc03]

3. I feel sorry for the way the cattle died but the fucking

Republican farmers that voted teabaggers in can kiss my ass.

[LonePirate]

4. The livestock losses are a tragedy. I wonder if the Teabagger a-hole reps will seek handouts.

We are strapped for cash due to our deficit and debt as they proclaim and they certainly hate government assistance for other people, especially city folk.

[BlueToTheBone]

8. They'll be there in the morning and wonder why

there's no one to talk to.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. sad. poor cattle

[seabeyond]

6. wow. i could not wrap my head around what i was reading. looking at dates. trying

to figure out what month we were in and why there was this blizzard. that is crazy. i am so sorry about this

[BlueToTheBone]

7. I know exactly what you are saying!

I thought at first it was some story from the 1800s? lol But apparently it went from summer to winter and they didn't have time to grow their winter coats. Really a bring it home climate change story in my book.

[seabeyond]

10. exactly. i was thinking the same. odd. thanks for the OP. nt

[FarCenter]

9. Cattle and Calf Death Losses

This report is released every five years as a cooperative effort between the
National Agricultural Statistics Service and Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service - Wildlife Services and Veterinary Services. The
information presented in this report is based on producer reports from the
January 2011 Cattle survey and includes detailed percentage breakouts of
cattle and calf losses by predators and non-predator causes as well as non-
lethal control measures.

Cattle and calf losses from predators and non-predator causes in the United
States totaled 3.99 million head (excluding Alaska) during 2010. This
represents 4.3 percent of the 93.9 million cattle and calves in the United
States at the beginning of 2010. Losses of cattle weighing more than 500
pounds totaled 1.73 million head or 43.4 percent of total losses. Calves
weighing less than 500 pounds lost to all causes totaled 2.26 million head or
56.6 percent of total losses.

http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/CattDeath/CattDeath-05-12-2011.txt

In 2010, the weather related deaths were 489,000. This year will be up some, but probably not more than 20% due to this storm.

[BlueToTheBone]

11. This happens all the time?

100,000 die all at once? That is both comforting and terrifying simultaneously.

[prairierose]

12. Well, the report mentioned is from the whole US for 1 year....

and this "freak" storm killed 100,000 in 3 states in a few days. So there is a slight difference. However, most people here do think climate change, under the name global warming, is real. We have had too much weird weather the last 5 years especially for people to deny it. Except the faux newsbots of course.

[FarCenter]

13. Large numbers dying in a single storm is unusual - but the total is a small fraction of annual loss

And usually ranchers do not lose a large fraction of their herd at once.

[BlueToTheBone]

14. But with such a large die off, won't that jack up the numbers

of annual dead? Or, that will just be a part of the aggregate and the overall numbers won't change?